Fluorescent lamp holder



Nov. 14, 1950 s. LEVENSON FLUORESCENT LAMP HOLDER Filed Nov. 3, 1944 INVENTOR. Soxonou Lzvsusou M, ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 14, 1950 FLUORESCENT LAMP HOLDER Solomon Levenson, Salem, Mass., assignor to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., Salem, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 3, 1944, Serial No. 561,730

1 Claim.

This invention relates to sockets or lamp holders for gaseous discharge lamps and particularly to lamp holders of this type for the reception of tubular lamps of small diameter.

In the manufacture of sockets of the type indicated having small dimensions it has heretofore been found necessary to eliminate some of the advantages which it was possible to incorporate in the larger type sockets.

The present invention has for its general object to provide a miniature type socket possessing all desirable advantages.

A further object of the invention is to provide a miniature type socket possessing means for securing it in operating position in any of the types of installation commonly employed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a miniature socket having short efficient spring contact members which function to readily receive and firmly hold the lamp base pins.

A further object of the invention is to provide a miniature socket in which the body or frame is designed to present maximum strength.

Other objects and features will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention showing the manner in which the socket is used to hold a tubular lamp;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view from the front of a socket detached from its fixture;

Figure 3 is a sectional perspective view showing the internal structure of the socket body;

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the socket with its back plate removed;

Figure 5 is a perspective view from the rear of the socket with its back plate removed and showing the manner of application of its attaching pla Figure 6 is a side elevation of the socket showing its manner of attachment to a fiat surface whose plane is perpendicular to the axis of the lamp; and

Figure '7 is a plan view of the holder with its mounting plate in operative position.

The development of holders for the smaller types of tubular gaseous discharge lamps prior to the present invention has not been satisfactory, due to the lack of space in the small fixtures designed for their reception. The holders now in use are not efficient in operation or do they possess sufiicient strength.

The present invention supplies a. socket having the necessary strength, as well as smoothness and efliciency of operation. These qualities are provided in a socket whose dimensions are held within the limited size allowable for miniature lamp holders.

In the preferred embodiment shown the body or frame I of the holder is desirably moulded from a plastic material having high dielectric properties, and which is hard and tough. The body is chambered to receive its internal elements and is open at its rear face to permit insertion of its current conducting elements. The rear of the body is closed in the assembled device by a back plate 2.

The internal chamber is bounded by a front wall 3 and side walls 4 which are made of extra thickness for added strength. These heavy walls are provided without necessitating an overall increase in the external dimensions of the holder as will appear hereinafter.

The front wall 3 has a lamp pin receiving aperture 5 therein which is open at its top to connect with a slot 6 in the top of the holder. The slot 6 terminates short of the rear face of the holder to form a bridge portion 1 which acts as a reinforcing member and moreover is provided with a key portion 8 projecting outward from the plane of the back of the socket and is received in a notch formed in the black plate 2 thereby serving to anchor the plate in proper register with the sides of the holder body.

An abutment 9 formed integral with the body I extends rearward from the front wall 3 to the plane of the rear face of the body and is symmetrically disposed along the vertical center line of holder. 'The flat upper extremity of the abutment is in line with the bottom of the pin opening 5. The abutment extends downward tapering to a narrow section near its lower extremity at which point a pair of shoulders III are formed a short distance above the lower extremity of the holder body I. The abutment has a portion below the shoulder l0 which forms a partition between the electrical connections for the holder to be described hereinafter.

The abutment 9 is provided with an aperture l2 within which a screw or rivet I3 is received acting to secure the back plate 2 in position.

A pair of bosses I4 project inward from the side walls 4 of the body about midway of its height. The bosses serve a number of purposes. They serve to strengthen the body by adding to the volume of material therein. The bosses also have apertures formed therein within which are received screws, bolts or other fastening means Y 3 to be used when the holder is to be fastened butt on to a support as shown in Figure 6 where the holder is secured to the support II by the bolts 13.

The bosses i4 also serve as supports against which electrical conductors l1 and i3 bear. The conductors are generally L-shaped. Their lower horizontal portions 19' and 20 are received in slots 2| formed in the side walls 4. The junction between the portion I9 and 20 with the vertical portions 22 thereof are received upon the shoulders ill. The vertical portions 22 lie along the tapered sides of the abutment 9 and extend between the abutment and the bosses l2. The spaces between these elements are only slightly wider than the thickness of' the conductors as a result of which substantially all flexing thereof occurs above the bosses H. The upper portions of the conductors extend into a position within the portion of the body chamber opposite to the pin aperture and are provided with pin notches 22. These active portions of the conductors are spaced apart somewhat less than the spacing of the lamp pins. The upper extremities of the conductors are bent outward to provide guiding means for the pins when a lamp is inserted in the holder.

The horizontal portion [9 and 20 of the conductors are bored and threaded to receive screws 24 which serve to secure current carrying wires to the conductors.

The lower portions of the side and front walls of the body are thickened to form a shoulder 25 and to strengthen the holder generally. An attaching plate 26 is used to mount the socket when it is to be secured to a surface parallel to the axis of the lamp. To attach theplate the upper portion of the holder is projected through an aperture in the plate corresponding to the cross-sectional shape thereof until it engages the shoulder 25. To lock the plate in position its narrow side portions 27 are forced in slots 28 formed in the side walls 4. The plate is provided with a fastening screw aperture 29.

The lower portion of the body I extends below the portions 19 and 20 of the conductors to form a chamber within which the ends of the current carrying lead wires are received. The

, front wall of the chamber is cut away as at 30 in Figure 2 in case the wires are to be led out at that point while the back plate 2 which forms the back wall of the chamber may also be cut away as at 3| in Figure 1, to accommodate lead wires.

To prevent bodily contact with the wires or conductors a cover plate 32 of insulation may be provided. The plate may he held in place in any desired manner. As shown herein a pair of slots 33 are formed in the side walls 4 close to their bottom extremity. The slots 33 terminate adjacent the front face of the holder to confine the plate 32. After connecting the lead wires to the conductors the plate 32 is slipped into the slots 33 thus protecting a person from injury from electrical shock.

To install a lamp the pins in its end caps are fed through the slot 6 into the opening 5 until one of them engages the abutment 9. The lamp is then rotated about one-quarter turn which causes the pins to enter the notches 23 in the conductors i1 and i8.

It will be noted that-when the lamp is installed the conductors are flexed only from their point of contact with the bosses l4 upward. This function of the conductors contributes to the emcient operation of the holder in several respects. The relatively short length of flexible metal and the substantially cantilever action ofthe conductors lends rigidity to their holding power thus locking the lamp" securely. Furthermore this firm contact insures good electrical conductivity and also permits-the use of a conductor of relatively small dimensions both in width and thickness without reducing the ability of the conduc tors to rigidly hold the lamp. It follows from this condition that the walls of the holder may be thickened without an increase in outside dimensions of the holder. This possibility permits a further increase in the strength of the holder.

What I claim is:

A lamp holder for tubular lamps of the type which have a pair of contact pins in their bases, comprising a body of insulating material, a chamber in the body opening rearwardiy away from the lamp and presenting front and side walls, a substantially triangular pin receiving aperture in said front wall opening into said chamber the apex of said substantially triangular aperture being truncated and co-extensive with the top of said body of insulating material and the walls of said body of insulating material which define said truncated apex being substantially convex, said aperture having at least a portion of its periphery presenting a radius to embrace the lamp pins and confine the rotation of the lamp to a predetermined axis when it is inserted in the holder, a central abutment in said chamber extending vertically from a position substantially horizontally in line with the bottom edge of said aperture to the bottom of said body and having flat side portions, a pair of semicylindrical side abutments extending inward from said side walls substantially midway of the body height to a point near said central abutment and opposite the upper extremity of said flat side portions, a pair of spring conductors in said chamber extending upward to engage the lamp pins and downward between the side and central abutments said conductors having flat portions engaging the flat portions of the central abutment from a position at the level of the side abutments down to their lower extremities,

screw means on said conductors for connecting" them to a circuit and a back plate to close said chamber.

SOLOMON LEVENSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,229,962 De Reamer Jan. 28, 1941 2,284,376 De Reamer et al. May 26, 1942 2,292,043 Bryant Aug. 4. 1942 2,319,693 Kulka May 18, 1943 2,338,970 Rosenthal Jan. 11, 1944 2,339,751 Beal Jan. 25, 1944 2,350,341 De Reamer June 6. 1944 2,363,734 Kulka Nov. 28, 1944 

